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EXAM 2015
SECTION A
(a) What is meant by the term beneficial use in the context of land and
water contamination? (4 marks)
(d) List 3 remediation techniques for contaminated sites and specify the type
of contamination conditions that they would be most applicable to (6 marks)
SECTION B
a) Write a balanced reaction for the cation exchange occurring in the clay
layer (3 marks)
2. What does a redox stability diagram show and how is it constructed? Use an
example of a contaminant with multiple oxidation states to illustrate. (4 marks)
1
b) What would be the total inorganic carbon (TIC) concentration expected in
water that is open to the atmosphere, with pH of 10? Assume the atmospheric
pressure of CO2 is 0.01 atm and that the equilibrium constants for the
dissolution and dissociation of CO2 in water are KCO2 = 10-1.5; K1 = 10-6.3 and
K2 = 10-10.3, respectively.
1. Briefly discuss the most important factors that should be considered when
designing a new landfill, according to EPA Victorias Best Practice Guideline
for Design and Management of Landfills (8 marks)
2. Identify the two major issues which require management at most landfill sites,
and discuss how geological and hydrological characteristics interact with
these. Use examples from the field trip where possible. (6 + 6 = 12 marks)
SECTION C
a) Illustrate one of the four slope stability mechanisms listed above (3 marks)
2
2. Describe two approaches to the prevention, management or remediation of
land salinity. These could be engineering or land and water management
approaches. (6 marks)
1. Explain how you would use the Hazard Quotient and Hazard Index to
characterise the risk of a site that contained a mixture of potential
contaminants in the soil. (5 marks)
CEC (cmolc/kg) 5 10 20 30 40 60
b) Explain what the term biomagnification means and how you can use the
n-octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) to determine the
biomagnification potential of an organic chemical in soil. (5 marks)